You will have to decide how good of a finish you want we would recomend a wet sanding w/320 wet or dry paper until you achieve a virtually flawless base ( it should look like wax paper everywhere if you want the flawless finish your board deserves otherwise if its smooth and you will accept less than AWESOME go ahead and varnish as long as the sanding scratches are imperceptable Good Luck

C Fox Boat School

www.cfoxboatschool.com 

You don't need anywhere near a lot of sanding to get a good look for the boat.  Rough up the surface with some 220 grit, 320 if you really want a furniture quality look, and begin the varnishing.

 If you want to know how it will look after varnishing, just get it wet.  That will give you a good idea where there are "issues" that may show up (but not necessarily show up) when you varnish.

That said, I didn't bother varnishing mine.  I got it wet as soon as the epoxy was dry and haven't bothered with any significant work since. 

FrankP 

Ok,

I didnt get much real world work today so I blam clc for loss of income, lol.

I did a lot of sanding today, so now the overall board looks 'wax paper'.

however only a few indentations left. Do I REALLY need to worry about these and sand more??? Surely the varnish will adhere ok now? I dont want to get too neurotic, the paddleboard is made to a good structure I beleive and I need it soon to paddle, I dont mind so much it to look perfect! Just worried that non sanded indentations may effect the varnish????

 Thanks!

James,

 Don't worry about the little things, you'll never see them in the finished product.

The sanding doesn't really make that much of a difference except to provide a little "friction" for the varnish to adhere to the surface area.  A few small spots won't make a major difference, though large ones can.  Use your best judgement and enjoy the process.

FrankP